Wheel with resilient spokes



May 1 7, 1949. E. H. PIRON WHEEL WITH RESILIENT SPOKES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 1'7, 1943 Patented May 17, 1949 WHEEL WITH RESILIENT SPOKES Emil H. Piron, New York, N. Y., assignor to Transit Research Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Substituted for application Serial No. 491,214,

June 17, 1943.

1947, Serial No. 728,392

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to wheels of the type employing resiliency between the tire or rim and the hub and has for its object to provide an improved metallic spoke therefor capable of yielding in a radial direction and having great stability in all other directions. This application is filed as a substitute of application Serial Number 491,214, filed June 17, 1943, now abandoned.

The resilient wheels now conventionally used on modern street railway cars employ rubber as the springing medium. The rubber is a critical material, at present, and it is necessary to employ metal as the springing medium. The prin cipal object of this invention is to provide a wheel with metallic spokes which will yield radially, which will withstand road shocks without fracture and which will be cheaper and more durable than the conventional rubber elements.

In order to obtain the desired resiliency and lateral stability I have found that it is desirable to employ spokes of U-shape which bow out of the plane of the wheel. The spokes are made of a single bar of metal, as described in said application, and I have found that their life may be substantially improved if they are made in two parts instead of one. The stresses are highest at the region of greatest bend and the principal object of this invention is to provide a spoke which will not be subject to high stresses at this region.

More particularly the object of this invention is to provide a wheel having U-shaped spokes, the legs of the U being separate pieces coupled together.

Another object is to provide an improved type of coupling suitable for securing the spoke elements to each other and to teach the integral incorporation thereof in the hub and rim of the wheel itself.

Other objects and advantages will become hereinafter more fully apparent as reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wheel looking to the left of Figures 2 and 3,

Figure 2 is an elevation taken from a radial direction, and

Figure 3 is a diametric section of the wheel taken axially.

More particularly, I indicates the tire or tread surface which is shrunk onto the rim portion 2. The hub 3 has a radial fiange 4 which is concentric with and of somewhat less outside diameter than the inside diameter of the rim portion 2. The flange 4 and the rim portion 2 are both This application February 14,

2 contained within the contour of the tire I and also within the contour of the hub 3.

The flange 4 and rim portion 2 are each provided with a series of holes 5, the holes of each series being equally spaced about the axis of the hub 3 and hence the two series are concentric. There are the same number of holes in each series. Through these holes 5 half spokes 6 are inserted. A small portion of the end of each half spoke projects through the flange and rim portion respectively and is welded thereto at 1. A tapered portion or collar 8 follows outwardly along each half spoke on the side of the flange and rim portion away from the weld, the half spokes being secured only at the points of weld.

The half spokes 6 are all parallel and of equal length and each extends through holes 8 in a common ring i0 having a central opening II through which an axle may extend. The half spokes 6 extend entirely through the ring I!) and are welded thereto at l2 at their ends. The ring I 'll is provided with collar portions 13 which extend outwardly along each half spoke, the same in construction as the collars 8, and the half spokes are secured to the ring only at the points of weld.

The half spokes 5 and the ring I 0 together constitute the spokes of the wheel. In operation the half spokes are each subjected to bending stresses, as are also the collars 8 and I3. The flexing of the half spokes lends resiliency between the hub and rim portion. The ring Ill is a casting or forging and is not expected to flex except as to its collar portions. These collar portions prevent a concentration of stresses at the points of attachment of the ends of the half spokes.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and I therefore desire to be extended protection as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A spoke for a wheel having the general shape of a U, the legs having individual metallic bars parallel with each other, and a coupling joining said bars, said coupling having two parallel openings through which said bars extend, said bars each extending freely through said openings and being fixedly secured to said coupling at their outer ends.

2. A spoke for a wheel having the general shape of a U, the legs being individual metallic bars parallel with each other, and a coupling joining said bars, said coupling having two parallel openings through which said bars extend, said bars in radially spaced relation, parallel bars extending;

laterally from said hub and said rim member, and a common ring into which allof said-bars are secured at their ends remote from said-hub and rim member, said ring'having two-series of openings therethrough, the centers of said series lying in concentric circles thewcenters of which 15 lie in the axis of said hub, each of said openings having a collar portion projecting outwardly from said ring toward said hub and rim member, said bars extending entirely and freely through said collar portion and through said openings and beinglweldedlto saidring attheir outer ends.

EMIL H. PIRON.

REFERENCES CITED The following. references are of record in the file of'this patent:

UNITED, STATES PATENTS Name Date Ffindlay Oct. 12, 1880 Number;- 

